While I was pretty sure I’d love this comic based on what I’ve seen and read of Bryan Miller’s Batgirl series this comic has 100% sold me on him has a writer and his take on the character. Miller achieves a very difficult feat; he actually makes me believe that Stephanie is a real college aged girl. From her nervous energy, to her mix of love/awe/fear and resentment towards Batman and her relationship with Oracle as the beloved but nosey and irritating older sister there’s just so much good characterization here.

Batgirl is tracking down a thief who has stolen an experimental rifle from Wayne Tech, a thief that Barbara tells her she isn’t ready to go against. While this is going on we get the narration of Barbara and okay *SPOILER ALERT* the thief is the resurrected Bruce Wayne. When Stephanie learns this she slaps him and runs away, she then explains that she’s not going to fight for his approval anymore and he has no right to take the Batgirl gig away from her; which is exactly what he wanted to hear.

Batman is a jerk, but then he always kinda is, and Stephanie’s mixed emotions at his return are totally believable. The one thing I thought was cool but didn’t totally get was the Vicki Vale “Quest” but that’s probably woven through all of the “Road Home” comics.

One more side-note that was great, Stephanie refuses to let Oracle or Proxy “gender” the thief until they know who it is.

The art is great: a little awkward in some shots, but the close ups are really expressive and Perez’s poses really help capture that college girl energy Stephanie gives out… especially when she’s on Oracle’s couch.

Quality Rating: 5/5
Out of the Fridge Rating: 5/5 (Nowhere Near the Fridge, overwhelmingly positive)
Pros:
-Stephanie’s quest to accept herself
-Her standing up to Batman
-Her refusal to gender the perp without knowing for sure what gender he is.

Cons:
-One instance of the word “tramp”, Oracle to Vicki ValeBechdel Test: Pass? -Most of the comic has women talking to each other and while they discuss a variety of topics the thief, who of course is male is main theme of the conversations. It’s hard to judge if this is a pass or not-